


Stone Cold Body

by Divergent03



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Original Series, Other, Reader Insert, Written for my Tumblr, fairytale!au, more-pokeimagines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:41:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26102113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Divergent03/pseuds/Divergent03
Summary: A roadtrip sounded like fun when your friends Hop and Gloria first suggested it. Little did you know that you would end up with an enchanted prince by your side and an old family secret that’s about to change your entire life. [fairytale!AU]-- vaguely inspired by “Beauty and the beast” and a writing prompt I saw on Pinterest some time ago.
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Reader, mentions of Hop/Gloria
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I’m so excited to finally share my first series with you! Since this is only the prologue it’s pretty short but I promise that the first chapter will be up soon. Feedback is always appreciated. English isn't my first language, so I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Once upon a time, when magic was still an inherent part of society, a young prince lived in a magic kingdom. While he had everything he could have wished for he was selfish and terribly cold at heart, taking pleasure in others' misery. Just like his father and mother, the King and Queen of Galar, he surrounded himself with the most beautiful things while hundreds of people were persecuted and killed because of their beliefs and powers.

But the prince didn't care about it. He continued to live a carefree and comfortable life without having to worry about anything but the fact that his mother planned to marry him off to another kingdom's princess.

But one day, the tables turned. You see, his father decided to mess with the wrong people and while none of it was the prince's fault, he was the one who payed for it in the end. The kingdom's mightiest sorceress, a beautiful and terrifying woman of noble descent, managed to kidnap the prince when he returned from another hunting trip, unaware of the fate that she had planned for him.

When he begged her for his life, she didn't listen to him. Instead, she cursed him to be alone and trapped for the rest of his days, without a chance of breaking the evil spell she put on him. The sorceress turned him into stone, showing the unpleasant side of his character to everyone who came by and reminding everyone of the things magic was capable of.

His mother lost her mind when she learned about her son's death but his sister Carlina, a stubborn and smart lady with a good heart, never gave up hope that her brother would return home some day.

*

Of course, all of that happened years and years ago, in a time long forgotten but there are still legends who speak about the prince and his cruel fate. It is said that just one touch is enough to make the stone crumble and to release him from his prison but up to this day, the statue remains unchanged and unfazed by the thousands of people who posed next to it. There was no sign that the legends were true but they inspired artists and writers all over the world.

Some people still believe that the prince is there with them, alive, yet trapped in stone and waiting for his soulmate to redeem him from the curse the enchantress cast over him all this time ago.


	2. Chapter 1 - Present

_**Present** _

You were absolutely sure that it was going to be a great day. The sky was bright blue and cloudless, the air warm enough that you decided to leave your hoodie in the car. You took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the bushes and flowers that surrounded the old market square in the center of Wyndon.

It was the fourth day of your road trip, together with your best friends Hop and Gloria. You had known them both since your very first day of school and you quickly became so inseparable that people referred to you as the Siamese Triplets. You never spent a day, sometimes not even an hour without each other, almost as if you were attached to each others' hips. Later on, everyone, including your parents, called you the Chaotic Trio, mostly because Hop loved to play pranks on other people and always put you and Gloria up to keep watch while he prepared everything. School had been great with your friends by your side. You had always been there for each other, even when Gloria and Hop got together a few weeks before your final exams, and when they asked you if you wanted to go on a road trip with them right after graduation, you simply couldn't say No.

So far, everything had been perfect. You had spent a lot of time exploring the cities surrounding your home town, visiting ruins of ancient castles and underground vaults that had been abandoned centuries ago but besides that, you also went for a stroll around town more than once because Gloria loved shopping more than anything else. You, on the other hand, weren't a big fan of it, just like Hop, but since you wanted your friends to enjoy your holiday as well, you were more than fine with striking a compromise. If Gloria agreed to visit old, dusty places with you, you could definitely spend some time in a boutique without complaining.

“Hey, (Y/N).” Hop's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. He pointed towards the fountain in the middle of the square and held his phone up. “I'm taking a picture of Gloria in front of the fountain, do you wanna join her?”

You shook your head. While Gloria never missed an opportunity to upload photos from your trip to her personal social media account, you liked to keep everything a bit more private. You also weren't the biggest fan of seeing yourself in a photograph, so you usually made sure that you stayed as far away from Gloria as possible when she started snapping photos. In the past, it had happened more than once that she managed to take a picture when you weren't looking, so you had promised yourself to be extra careful in the future.

While Gloria was posing in front of the fountain, making faces at Hop who giggled behind his phone, you wandered around on the square. It was surrounded by a variety of restaurants, cafés and cute, little shops that sold all kinds of souvenirs and hand-crafted goods like candles, jewelry and small paintings of Wyndon's old town. You took a few minutes to inspect one of the paintings. It showed the square in the middle of winter, the fountain covered in snow.Everything looked peaceful and calm, not as busy and overcrowded as during the summer months.

You knew that Wyndon was famous for its history. The royal family had lived and died here, many, many years ago when the growing city had been surrounded by woods and wild nature. People could still visit the King's castle and explore the ruins up on the hill on the left side of the old town. The square you were currently visiting had been the commercial center back then; people came from far and wide to sell their goods or to bask in the King's favor when he and his guards visited the market.

But the historical value of Wyndon wasn't the only reason why people still traveled here. Most of them didn't even care about the castle or the various museums about the royal family. No, Wyndon was still the magical center of Galar, no matter how modern and developed the city was. Of course almost no one practiced magic anymore, as most sorcerers had been killed during the Great Hunt nearly three centuries ago. But there were still people out there who believed that their descendants would bring the magic back one day.

Utter nonsense, at least in your opinion. The magic had disappeared when the King had burned the last sorcerer at the stake, and it would never return. People didn't need magic anymore, they had machines and other technical playthings to solve their problems. But of course the whole story was still a nice magnet for tourists – even you couldn't deny that.

You sat down on a bench next to a souvenir shop while you waited for Gloria and Hop to finish their photo session. It was fun to watch them though, making faces at each other and striking the most exaggerated poses. Obviously, they were having fun, and you couldn't help but laugh when Gloria tried to climb onto the railing that surrounded the fountain to get a better shot. Hop was laughing too. “Stop it,” he said. “I'm not going to help you if you fall.”

Gloria grimaced at him once again but eventually, she let go of the railing and returned back to his side to have a look at the photos. You watched her scrolling through her camera roll, sometimes deleting a picture she didn't like while Hop was peeking over her shoulder to make an occasional comment about the photos. “That's pretty,” he told her and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. Gloria giggled. “Don't be stupid. I look like a scarecrow.”

“You _always_ look like a scarecrow, so that's not really a surprise,” you said and put on the most innocent smile as Gloria flashed her eyes at you. “Oh shush, will you.”

You blew her a kiss. “I love you too.”

*

Half an hour later, the three of you sat in a café right by the old market square. Gloria still hadn't decided which photo she wanted to upload to her social media accounts and therefore was busy with her phone while Hop and you discussed the plans for the next few days. Because there was so much to see in Wyndon, you had decided to spend more than just one day here but now, you needed to figure out which places you actually wanted to visit. Originally, you had planned to skip the history museums and just visit the castle. As far as you knew, there was a temporary exhibition about Galar's history and the royal family, so it should be enough to go there instead of spending hours in different museums.

“It would be a waste of time to travel all the way to Wyndon and then not even visit the castle,” you said and took a sip from your coffee. Next to you, Hop nodded. “Yeah, right. I mean, our teachers told us so much about it that I really want to see it. I bet it's absolutely impressive.”

“True,” you replied. Since Wyndon's council spent tons of money every year to preserve the castle, you were sure that it was still as stunning as in the past when the royal family had lived there. You had caught a glimpse of it when you entered the city. It was located on a hill a few kilometers away from Wyndon, surrounded by a thick palace wall and a few tall trees that towered over the building.

Across the table, Gloria let out a dreamy sigh. “Don't forget that we need to pay the prince a courtesy visit too.”

Right, the prince. You had almost forgotten about him and the stupid legend that surrounded the statue in a nearby park. To you, it still was incomprehensible that there were a lot of people out there who believed that the prince had been turned into stone a long time ago but the fact that they were convinced that his soulmate would be able to break the curse was far more idiotic.

“Really?” you asked, barely containing yourself from rolling your eyes. You knew that Gloria was a hopeless romantic and that she loved stories like that but up to this point you hadn't expected her to be so passionate about it. “You know that it's just a story someone made up to attract tourists, right? There's nothing magical about that statue.”

You hadn't planned to sound so hostile and when you realized that both Hop and Gloria eyed you curiously, you took a deep breath and added, “I'm sorry but you know that I don't believe in stuff like that, all magic aside.”

“I don't think it's true either,” Hop tossed in. “But who says that it's impossible? It's proven that there were powerful sorcerers in Galar a long time ago, so who knows?”

Gloria beamed at her boyfriend, obviously happy about the fact that he sided with her. “See, (Y/N), even Hop wants to see the statue.”

You held back a sigh. There was no reason for behaving like that, you knew that, but a part of you wanted to refuse to visit the statue so bad that you almost felt like you were going crazy. You had no idea why you disliked Gloria's idea so much and yet, you couldn't help but try to find an excuse why you didn't want to join them.

The next second, you scolded yourself in your thoughts. You were acting like a child; it made absolutely no sense that you wanted to stay here while your best friends went to see the statue – it had been your idea to travel to Wyndon, after all.

“Okay,” you finally said and tried to give both Hop and Gloria a smile. “Let's go.”

*

It didn't take you long to arrive at the small park where the statue was located. Only fifteen minutes away from the old town of Wyndon, and still you felt like you had just entered a fairytale world. Winding paths, carefully arranged and yet untamed flowerbeds, the branches of giant weeping willows hanging over ponds that were covered with water lilies. And somewhere in between all of that – the statue.

The history books told that the enchanted prince's sister Carlina had built the park as his final resting place after he disappeared because he had always loved to be surrounded by beautiful things. You weren't too sure about that but even you had to admit that the park was one of the loveliest things you had ever seen. The only thing that disturbed the peace was the massive amount of tourists. They were everywhere, chatting with each other and taking quick snapshots of their surroundings to show them to their friends and family at home. Some of them were already rushing to the center of the park to see the famous statue, their phones and cameras ready.

Once again, you sighed quietly. You weren’t too fond of overly crowded places like this but since you didn’t want to spoil the party, you forced yourself to smile at Gloria when she appeared next to you. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked in a hushed tone.

You nodded. “Yeah. I just wish there were less people here.”

“I know,” she sighed and rolled her eyes. “It will take forever til we can take some selfies with the statue. But I really want to see if the story is true, so… come one, let’s go. We have to hurry if we don’t want to wait for hours.” With that, Gloria linked arms with you and smiled. “Ready to go?”

You let her drag you along without complaining, especially since you knew that it would be useless to talk back to her at this point. When it came to things like that, Gloria always got her way, no matter what others told her, and while you usually admired her for her willpower, you weren’t sure what to think about it in moments like this.

As you followed her through the park, occasionally admiring your surroundings, you found yourself thinking about the legend again. You knew that magic existed in this world and that there had been people who were able to cast powerful spells but still, you couldn’t imagine that the rumors about the statue were true. Even if someone actually managed to turn the prince into stone, it was absolutely impossible that he was still alive after all these years. The whole story about his soulmate redeeming him was just something that people made up to attract more tourists. And apparently, it worked pretty well: hopeless romantics came from all over the country to see if they were the one to save the prince.

And then, the statue appeared in front of you. It was smaller than you had expected, and the material looked oddly similar to withered marble, not actual stone. The expression on his face was hard to read but his posture was easier to understand. He was on his knees, his right arm outstretched, as if he had tried to reach for someone to help him, and you suddenly felt a lump in your throat. You hadn’t expected to feel sorry for him.

 _Don’t be stupid, (Y/N)_ , you told yourself quietly, _it’s just a statue._ _There’s no_ _need to be sorry._

But there was another feeling too. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it but you couldn’t deny that you felt something else than pity… a strange kind of satisfaction you couldn’t explain. A moment later, a thought that definitely wasn’t yours crossed your mind. _He got what he deserved._

You shook your head in confusion; then you brought your attention back to the statue. Two girls were posing next to the prince; one wrapped her arms around him and the other one rested her head on his stony shoulder as another girl quickly took some pictures of them.

Next to you, Hop huffed and nudged you with his elbow. “Wanna bet that they thought something would happen?”

“Everyone here thinks that something is going to happen when the right person touches him,” you answered drily. “But hey, what do I care.”

“Shh,” Gloria interrupted you. “You’re way too pessimistic today, (Y/N).”

“You’re next,” you said. Not exactly the answer she was expecting, you could see that in her eyes, but thankfully, she turned away nevertheless and made her way towards the statue as soon as the other girls left. She patted the prince’s head. “Hey there.”

Hop laughed. “Ready?”

“Yep!” She threw herself into a pose, then into another one and in the end, she even got to her knees to act like she was pressing a kiss to the statue’s cheek. Then, she winked at you. “Wanna try it too, (Y/N)?”

You shook your head. “I don’t want to take a photo.”

“Of course you do! Come on, it’s fun.”

“It could be a nice memory,” Hop said. You raised your eyebrows. “Really? You’re stabbing me in the back?”

“It’s just a photo,” he added, pretending he didn’t hear your interjection. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he gently shoved you forward. Gloria quickly grabbed your arm before you could move backwards again and poked you in the ribs. “Just one photo, please.”

You rolled your eyes. “Okay, okay. But I don’t want to see that anywhere on social media, do you understand?”

She nodded, already making her way back to Hop and pulling her camera out of her backpack. “Don’t just stand there,” she said. “Put your arm around him or something like that.”

With a forced smile, you put your hand on the statue’s shoulder.

The camera clicked; you felt something crumble right under your fingers, and suddenly it was not longer stone you were touching but soft fabric. The next thing you knew was that someone stumbled right into your arms, dragging you to the ground with them.


	3. Chapter 2 - Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mentions of violence and executions

_**Past** _

The throne room was already full of people when the guards opened the door to let him in. He knew that he was way too late and wondered if he should think about an excuse but thankfully, his father was too busy with throwing his weight around to notice him. His mother, however, shook her head disapprovingly as he took his place next to his sister Carlina but the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips showed him that she was rather amused than angry.

“You’re late, son,” she said quietly. The fabric of her expensive, dark grey dress rustled quietly when she turned her body to look at him. Bede shrugged, quickly putting on a smile. “I’m sorry. I forgot about the trial. Father convicts so many people that it’s hard to keep track of it, honestly.”

Next to him, Carlina nodded. She was fifteen, four years younger than him, and she hated these trials almost as much as he did. He was just much better at hiding it, even though he still couldn’t stop himself from passing a sarcastic comment from time to time – but only when his father wasn’t paying attention.

It wasn’t a secret that the king wasn’t a patient or nice man. He knew exactly what he wanted and did everything to achieve his goals, no matter the cost. Everyone in the kingdom knew that it was dangerous to disgruntle him or to violate the law. Even his own family wasn’t safe from his angry outbursts sometimes – except Carlina. The king adored his daughter like nothing else and he couldn’t refuse her anything most of the time, maybe because she looked so much like him with her dark hair and hazel eyes while the prince himself took mostly after their mother.

When it came to the trials, however, things were a bit different – not even Carlina could convince their father to change the law.

“Bring the prisoner in!”

The king’s voice echoed with the tall walls. The crowd, mostly wealthy members of the rural nobility, turned their heads to the large and richly ornamented double doors in the front of the throne room to see the poor unfortunate soul that was about to get their fate sealed.

It was a girl, not much younger than Carlina. She was accompanied by almost a dozen soldiers, her hands were tied at her back. Her plain dress was ripped and dirty, her long hair was matted but in her eyes, Bede could see a spark of anger, even though the guards had probably tried everything to knock the fight out of her.

He turned his head away. This girl had done nothing wrong, she had just been born into the wrong family, and still, his father wanted to see her dead. Simply because she was able to practice magic. As far as he knew, she wasn’t even good at it, not yet at least, but the fact that both her parents and her siblings were powerful sorcerers was enough to make her an enemy of the kingdom.

The guards pushed her down to her knees, and a murmur went through the crowd. Nobody had expected her to be so _young_. Bede’s sister silently reached for his hand. “Father is going to kill her, isn’t he?” she mumbled. He didn’t respond but Carlina knew that she was right anyway. Their father never showed mercy when it came to sorcerers.

“Tell me your name, girl,” the king commanded, his tone harsh and unyielding as he stared at her with a stern face. In moments like this, he looked even more intimidating, with his expensive robes and the crown that glistened in the light which fell through the large windows.

The girl looked up, not the tiniest bit afraid to stare the king directly into the eyes. She was braver than most prisoners Bede had seen but he knew that not even the bravest and strongest people could survive his father’s trials. “My name is none of your business,” she said. Then, after a few moments of silence, she added in an almost mocking tone, “Your Majesty.”

“Your stubbornness isn’t going to save you,” he replied. “But very well. Do you understand why you are here?”

Defiantly, she raised her chin. “Yes. I’m here because you hate people like me”, she raid. Her voice was shaking ever so slightly but she didn’t seem to be bothered by it. “I’m here because you’re afraid of us and of the things we could do to you and your family.”

“You practiced magic,” the king interrupted her and furrowed his brow. “My soldiers captured you because you broke the law – performing magic is a punishable offense, and it is my duty to penalize those who don’t pay attention to the rules I established.” He paused for a few seconds, waiting for a response and when the girl remained silent, he continued, “I’ll take your silence as a confession then.”

Some of the courtiers put their heads together, eagerly whispering words Bede couldn’t understand from where he was standing but it was evident that they agreed with their king’s decision. Most of them were too afraid to contradict him anyway.

At a sign from their king, the soldiers set the girl back on her feet. She was struggling to stand upright but the look in her eyes was still as undaunted and fierce as before as she awaited her sentence.

Bede watched his father from the corner of his eye. His voice was as cold as ice when he finally opened his mouth to speak again. Without batting an eye, he said, “For your crimes, I condemn you to death. At sunrise, you will be burned at the stake.”

*

She stayed in the background, the hood of her dark cloak successfully hiding her face as she watched the soldiers put the finishing touches on the stake. The wood was dry; it would burn like tinder in less than ten minutes. At least, the girl wouldn’t have to suffer for long.

Still, she could feel her heart ache when she thought about it. It wasn’t the first execution she watched and while it usually made her sad, this time was different. She was devastated. The girl didn’t deserve to die, she still got her whole life in front of her, and yet, the king had sentenced her to death without even feeling any remorse. He didn’t care that her death would tear her family apart even more; he didn’t care that he was about to burn another child at the stake.

From the corner of her eye, she could see the king and his family, all dressed up and arrogant as they stood on their balcony to watch the execution. She felt a wave of hatred washing over her and quickly averted her gaze before she got tempted to do something incredibly stupid.

Her time for revenge would come. But not today. There were still too many things she needed to figure out beforehand.

The quiet creak of the wooden door a few meters away from her snapped her out of her bitter thoughts, and when she looked up, she could see the convicted girl, surrounded by three more soldiers who kept a tight grip on her arms, even though her hands were still tied. Her eyes were red-rimmed as if she had cried for hours but other than that, she showed no sign of weakness.

The woman in the dark cloak smiled sadly. It always pained her when people like her were killed, especially when they were innocent and never did anything wrong in their entire life, but this time, it was particularly devastating.

She hated the fact that her people were hunted down like animals, simply because they were able to practice magic. Of course there were some who didn’t play by the rules and used black magic to get what they wanted but the vast majority wasn’t dangerous at all. And still the king acted like each of them posed a threat to the public, and his people, narrow-minded and gullible as they were, believed him unquestioningly.

The thought alone made her angry but right now, she couldn’t risk losing control. She was in the enemy’s territory right now; she needed to pull herself together if she didn’t want to be the next to die. So she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw the soldiers guiding the girl towards the stake, and she turned her head away, trying to brace herself for what was going to happen.

She would never forgive herself for letting her sister die. She would never, not in a thousand years, forgive the king or his family for killing her. And one day, she would make them pay for what they did to her and her people.


	4. Chapter 3 - Present

_**Present** _

You still had no idea what was going on. Just one minute ago you were absolutely sure that there was nothing magical about the statue in the middle of a pretty park but the fact that the people around you stared at you like you had three heads made it almost impossible to deny that something of great importance had happened.

Well. In fact, you knew _exactly_ what had happened. Even though you had always thought that it was just a stupid story to attract tourists, you couldn’t deny that the statue was no longer there. And the body in your arms definitely felt human.

You didn’t dare to look at his face, not even when he groaned quietly as he tried to sit up. It almost felt like you were rooted to the spot, as if you couldn’t move your arms and legs, even if you wanted to. His light grey, military style jacket was gold-embroidered and while it was dusty and ripped in some places, it still looked pristine and expensive.

You noticed that his hands were shaking and that his already pale skin looked almost translucent in the bright sunlight. His eyes, an unusual purple color you had never seen before, were full of confusion and panic.

And suddenly, the realization hit you like a brick. He was the _statue_. All the stories about the enchanted prince had been true, and now he was sitting here right next to you, trying to figure out what was going on and why everyone was staring at both him and you.

A murmur went through the crowd of tourists surrounding you when they finally realized what was going on: you had lifted the curse, the prince was back, and he was alive. In this moment, even you found it hard to believe that magic wasn’t real anymore.

Cameras started to click all around as the people tried to get a good photo of the scene right before them.

The boy stared at you, his mouth slightly agape. When your eyes met you held your breath for a moment, not quite sure if you really were ready to face the consequences of your actions. The next second, a wave of hatred washed over you. You didn’t understand why but you _loathed_ him, even though you were dead sure that you had never met him before. And yet, here you were, staring at the allegedly dead prince of Galar and trying to resist the sudden urge to slap him across the face.

But before you could do something incredibly stupid, Gloria knelt down next to you and gently touched your arm, snapping you out of your weird thoughts. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Your fall looked a bit painful.”

“I’m fine,” you replied automatically, even though it was technically a lie. You felt weird and you still didn’t understand why you reacted so hostile towards the boy. There was absolutely no reason for your behavior but there was something about him that made you furious.

You watched Gloria bringing her attention to the boy. _The prince_ , you corrected yourself. She let out a shaky breath as she examined him, her glance moving back and forth between him and the spot where the statue had been before you had touched it. Piles of crumbled stone surrounded him, a direct proof that he truly had been trapped in the statue – at least until you had put your hand on his shoulder and freed him.

“Holy moly,” Gloria mumbled to herself. “The stories are really true.”

You darted a cursory glance at the prince. He still seemed to be a bit disoriented but at least he wasn’t as pale as death anylonger. When he returned your look, you noticed that the panic in his eyes had subsided as well, replaced by something you couldn’t really put your finger on. Disfavor, maybe?

You turned your head to avoid his gaze and finally got up from the floor, shaking the dust off your clothes as soon as you were on firm ground again. Then, you offered your hand to the prince to help him up, even though you were really reluctant about touching him. Thankfully, he ignored your outstretched hand and struggled to his feet on his own. He adjusted his jacket, deliberately avoiding looking at you, despite the fact that he was standing right next to you.

After a few more moments of silence, you cleared your throat and finally asked, “Are you okay?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“I wanted to know if you’re feeling fine,” you repeated, your tone already getting more impatient. In Galar, royalty wasn’t relevant anymore, so you didn’t really care about the fact that you were technically speaking to a prince. “Or if you need something. Water, maybe.”

He shook his head. “I’m alright,” he answered stiffly. And then, as if he suddenly remembered his good manners, he added, “Thank you.” His voice was a bit hoarse, maybe because he hadn’t used it in such a long time, and much to your horror, you realized that it actually sent a shiver down your spine. Damn it. You didn’t want to like his voice. You didn’t want to like _anything_ about him.

“Your grace,” one of the girls in the crowd exclaimed, rushing forward to get a better look at him. “It’s an honor to meet you. Me and my friends always believed that the legends about you were true, so we came here every year to see if there was something we could do for you.”

Once again, he raised his eyebrow but you weren’t sure if it was because of the girl’s impertinent attempts to get his attention or because she mentioned the spell he had been under. Or maybe there was an entirely different reason, and you quickly reassured yourself that you really didn’t need to care about it.

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about,” he finally said. The girl beamed at him, obviously happy about the fact that he decided to start a conversation with her. “About the legends surrounding you. Some people always believed that your soulmate would be able to break the curse and bring you back to life.” She blushed, almost as if it embarrassed her that she hadn’t been the one to free him, especially since she clearly had tried it so often.

“I see.” It was evident that he didn’t believe her at all, and for the first time since you lifted the curse from him you asked yourself if he even realized that he had been trapped in stone for centuries. If he even understood how much the world had changed since then, or if he believed to be in some sort of weird dream in which people dressed strangely and didn’t know how to approach him properly.

Before you even knew what you were doing, you suddenly found yourself right next to him, placing your hand on his arm once again. “I guess there’s a lot we need to explain to you.”

*

It wasn’t much fun to walk around Wyndon with an enchanted prince by your side. The news that the statue had been destroyed by some stranger had already spread like a wildfire, and you felt like almost everyone was staring at you, a mixture of deep respect and utter confusion in their eyes.

You tried to convince yourself that they weren’t gaping at you but at the prince instead, especially since he was still wearing his light grey royal outfit. It suited him well, no doubt, but it was a bit too eye-catching for your liking, especially since it was pretty messed up. He really needed some more ordinary looking clothes if he didn’t want to stand out like a sore thumb, so it was probably best to head for the nearest clothing store to get him a shirt and a pair of jeans.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find a shop that wasn’t overly crowded and also not as expensive as some other stores in Wyndon, and only twenty minutes later, the prince had exchanged his noble attire for dark pants, a pair of black sneakers and a sweatshirt that had the exact same color as his eyes. It was obvious that he felt uncomfortable in his new clothes but at least he understood that it was necessary to look as ordinary as possible and other than a few complaints about the scratchy material of the sweatshirt he remained silent.

The prince didn’t talk much in general; he seemed to be completely lost in his own thoughts while he followed you and your friends through the city, and he kept his head down, almost as if he didn’t want anyone to notice him. Occasionally, Gloria tried to talk to him but the answers he gave were so brief and succinctly that she gave up after a few minutes and started a conversation with Hop instead.

As made your way through the small alleys to get back to the old town to grab something for lunch, you listened with half an ear as your friends talked about the plans for the next few days. Originally, you had planned to spend way more time in Wyndon but since you had an enchanted prince by your side now, they weren’t sure if it really was a good idea to stay here. Surely tourists would recognize him sooner or later, especially when those who had been in the park with you earlier on started to post their pictures to social media, and you wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without having a bunch of people surrounding you because they wanted to catch a glimpse of the prince.

You couldn’t deny that they were probably right. The people here in Wyndon had always been convinced that something magical would happen some day, and now that they had been proven right they were going to make a huge deal out of it. Heck, they probably wouldn’t hesitate to pester _you_ with questions too since you had been the one who broke the curse,and just the mere thought was enough to annoy you. This was all Gloria’s fault. If she hadn’t insisted that you touched the statue while posing for a picture, none of this would’ve had happened and you would’ve been able to continue your road trip the way you had planned to. But no, of course things had to get out of hand.

You still thought about it when you arrived at a small restaurant twenty minutes later. It wasn’t a coincidence that Gloria had brought you here: only a few tourists knew about this restaurant, and the dining area was so small that only a few tables fitted in it, so it was actually a pretty private place which was absolutely perfect today.

While Gloria placed your orders at the counter, you found yourself examining the prince once again. There was a slightly arrogant line around his mouth you hadn’t noticed before but what really surprised you was the innocent expression in his eyes as he returned your look. “Do you like what you see?” he asked, his voice as smooth as silk as he raised an eyebrow. It was obvious that he was trying to mock you, so you quickly put on an awfully nice smile and shook your head. “No. I was just wondering if you realize how rude it is that you haven’t introduced yourself so far, Your Grace.”

You somehow managed to make the title sound like an insult but much to your surprise, he didn’t even seem to be bothered by it. Instead, his lips curled into a smile. “Correct would be _Your Highness_ ,” he said softly. “But you may call me by my given name”

“And that is-?”

“Bede.”

Your smile grew a bit wider. “There we go. I’m (Y/N), this charming guy right here,” you pointed at Hop who was sitting next to you, “is Hop and the lovely lady at the counter is Gloria. Very nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Bede replied automatically, a wee bit of sarcasm in his voice. You knew that he probably only tried to hide his insecurity about the whole situation underneath his cool exterior but you rolled your eyes nevertheless. Apparently, it was beneath his dignity to at least treat you with some respect.

Luckily, Gloria returned with your drinks and spared you from answering. You had no idea why you got so angry about trivialities when it came to Bede, especially since it wasn’t the first time that he managed to make you livid, but on the other hand, you really weren’t obligated to like him just because you saved him.

Well. At least that’s what you tried to tell yourself because you knew exactly what everyone else would think about the fact that you managed to undo the spell. Everyone who knew about the legend would believe that Bede and you were soulmates; some kind of star-crossed lovers who belonged together, even though you basically knew next to nothing about each other – and if it was up to you it could stay this way forever.


	5. Chapter 4 - Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentions of executions  
> A/N: Thank you so much for the kudos and your comments! I really appreciate them. :) Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

**_Past_ **

Three weeks had passed since King Lewin I. had burned the girl at the stake, and Bede still couldn’t stop thinking about it. He didn’t know why his father hated the sorcerers so much, he didn’t know what they had done to deserve being hunted and killed like animals. But he knew only too well that he wasn’t allowed to ask, so he remained silent and carried on with his life as if he didn’t care about the death of innocent people at all, just like his father.

His sister, on the other hand, made no secret of her consternation. She barely spoke to the king anymore and even tried to convince him to cancel the ball he had announced for her birthday in a few weeks. The end of the story had been a slap in the face and a warning to never disrespect her father like that again.

Bede still got angry when he thought about it. His father had no right to treat Carlina like that, especially since she already spent most of the day in her room, silently mourning the death of a girl she hadn’t known. He wished he knew how to make it easier for her, mostly because it probably hadn’t been the last execution she had to watch but also because he hated to see his cheerful and carefree sister like that. Even though she often told him that she could take care of herself just fine, he still felt the strong urge to protect her from all the evils of the world. To him, she would always be the little girl who had asked him to read her favorite book to her over and over again while she snuggled up to him to keep herself warm. To this day, it was still one of his dearest memories and one of the many reasons why he adored his sister so much.

He was currently on his way to her rooms since she had been absent at dinner, probably because she was still too upset to actually spend time with the king. The queen, a compassionate and gentle woman, had asked her son to look in on Carlina, and he gladly followed her instructions, mostly because he was worried about Carlina too but also because he was tired of hearing about the princess he was supposed to marry anytime soon.

Absent-mindedly, Bede turned around the corner, finally reaching the hallway that led to Carlina’s rooms in the east wing. He knew that he needed to persuade her to leave her quarters, especially if she didn’t want to anger their father even more, but he had no idea how. Carlina was well-behaved and smart, yes, but she could also be incredibly stubborn. It definitely wouldn’t be easy to convince her.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.” A guard had approached him, obstructing his way as he looked at the prince with an almost empty expression. Despite his statement, his voice showed no signs of sympathy. Instead, he sounded almost like the situation amused him. “But the king advised me to not let anyone pass.”

“Excuse me?” Bede asked, the disgruntled expression in his eyes a solemn warning but the guard returned his look without the slightest bit of fear. He knew that he was on the safe side since he only obeyed the king’s orders, and the prince hardly had anything to say anyway.

“May I propose that you talk to the king yourself, Your Highness,” the guard suggested. “Perhaps that will settle the issue.”

Bede frowned. It didn’t happen often that someone dared to disrespect him like that but even the stubbornness of this guard wouldn’t stop him from seeing his sister.

“No,” he said after a few moments of silence, his voice as cold as ice. “Perhaps we could do as I say, or else I will ensure that you suffer the consequences for disobeying your prince. I don’t care what my father said.”

The guard gulped, now clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation. “Your Highness, I-”

“Be quiet,” Bede interrupted him. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. Now, step aside.”

He could literally see how the guard’s thoughts were racing as they stared at each other for a few more seconds. Then, the guard finally stepped aside. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness,” he said and bowed his head. “I was being presumptuous.”

“Yes,” Bede agreed. “You may leave now.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Bede turned away, raising his hand to knock at the door to Carlina’s room.

It was more than obvious that his sister wasn’t feeling well. Carlina looked absolutely terrible, despite her tarted up appearance. Her face was still tear-stained, her eyes swollen and red-rimmed as she looked at her brother who simply reached out for her and pulled her into a tight hug. She leaned against him, her face buried in the crook of his neck while tears welled up in her eyes again.

“We missed you at dinner,” he mumbled, his hands gently caressing her back to comfort her. The soft and expensive fabric of her dress felt cool beneath his fingertips. “Mother asked me to check in on you. She’s worried.”

“Father told me not to leave my room,” Carlina replied quietly. “He said I should spend my time realizing my mistakes before I bother him with my presence again.”

“I know. There was a guard outside of your room.”

Carlina sniffled. When she spoke again, her voice was shaking. “I don’t understand why he hates the sorcerers so much. They never did anything wrong, did they? And still he keeps hunting them like they’re wild animals! That’s not how a king is supposed to act.”

“I know,” Bede repeated. He didn’t understand his father’s hatred either but he had learned long ago not to question his actions, especially not when it came to his ruthless vendetta against the sorcerers. He could only hope that the killing would stop eventually.

*

Dissatisfied, Bede tugged at the high collar of his new jacket. He hated to wear his navy blue dress uniform but since the occasion called for fancy clothing, there wasn’t much he could do about it. In his opinion, the color looked awful against his pale complexion and it clashed with the color of his eyes while his mother insisted that he looked regal and mature. He, on the other hand, suspected that she only wanted him to look presentable when she introduced him to the princess he was betrothed to since birth, despite the fact that he had zero interest in marrying. But for the sake of Carlina and her birthday, he had decided that it would be best to discuss the issue later on.

His sister looked stunning, dressed in an exquisite rose colored gown which was richly ornamented with precious pearls and gemstones that resembled the jewelry she was wearing. The only thing that was missing was her contagious smile.

When he escorted her to the ballroom, an hour after the guests had arrived, he squeezed her gloved hand, trying to reassure her that nothing bad was going to happen tonight. Initially, she had looked forward to this celebration but Bede knew that she’d rather run and hide in her room after yet another incident with a sorcerer and his inevitable death sentence the evening before.

“Smile,” he whispered when they entered the ginormous ballroom that had always been too richly decorated for his liking. The guests were staring at the siblings as they made their way to the podium in front of huge windows where their parents awaited them.

“His Royal Highness, Prince Bede and Her Royal Highness, Princess Carlina,” a harbinger introduced them, even though there probably was not a single person in the room who didn’t know their names. Carlina was finally smiling again, gracefully waving at her admirers, and even Bede who usually acted restrained and sometimes slightly arrogant whenever he had to be at court, had managed to put on a somewhat believable smile. He hated events like this though. He hated how his mother paraded her children around like they were some kind of precious commodities to preserve the peace between Galar and other kingdoms.

“My beloved children,” the king greeted them when they reached the podium, stretching out his hand to help Carlina getting up the stairs. Bede couldn’t help but notice that she was a good actress. She didn’t even flinch when her father bowed his head to kiss her cheek; the exact same cheek he had slapped just a few weeks ago when his daughter had dared to speak out against him.

With a proud smile, he put his arm around Carlina. “Happy Birthday, my dear.”

“Thank you, Mylord,” she replied politely, just as everyone in the room expected. Then, she turned around to look at the courtiers as her father said, “Surely, my daughter feels honored to spend her birthday with such noble and courteous people.”

Restrained murmurs of approval interrupted him but as soon as he raised his hand, the crowd went silent again. “But this is not the only reason for our celebration today. I am delighted to announce the Prince’s engagement with Princess Amelié of Kalos.”

Bede’s smile faded in the blink of an eye. Even though he had assumed that his parents would make things official today, he didn’t expect to meet his betrothed in front of every aristocrat in the kingdom. Of course it didn’t help that he had no desire to meet her, let alone spend the whole evening with a girl he didn’t know.

A figure moving through the crowd caught his attention and for a moment, he closed his eyes, wishing that the princess would be at least a decent person, but when he opened his eyes again he realized that it wasn’t Princess Amelié who was curtseying in front of his father now. It was a woman, dressed in a simple, yet expensive looking gown. Her long hair was pinned up and decorated with barely noticeable beads and pearls.

“Your Majesty,” she greeted the king, her voice low and husky. “I deeply apologize for interrupting your wonderful celebration but Her Highness, Princess Amelié, will not be able to accompany us today. She fell ill a few days ago but she sends her kindest regards to the King and the Queen and their children. Her Highness particularly regrets that she can not meet her betrothed today but as soon as she feels better she would feel honored to pay her respect to him.”

“Please convey my get-well wishes to Princess Amelié,” Bede replied, knowing very well what his parents and everyone else in the room expected from him. He even managed to put on a smile. “And also assure her I am eagerly awaiting her visit.”

“Your wish is my command, Your Highness,” the woman said.

After that brief encounter, King Lewin lead the dance with his wife, followed by Carlina and Bede who wasn’t too fond of dancing but since it was his sister’s birthday, he couldn’t deny her request and he was more than surprised when he discovered that it was actually a lot of fun to dance with his sister. She was a natural talent, graceful and self-confident as they twirled round the dance floor.

It didn’t take long until a young duke asked the Princess for a dance, and after a few seconds of hesitation Carlina accepted the proposal. She gave her brother an apologetic smile but he stopped her with a wave of his hand and returned to the side of the dance floor.

Princess Amelié’s lady-in-waiting joined company with him just a few minutes later, gracefully curtseying when he greeted her with a nod. “Your Highness,” she said.

“Milady,” was the simple response.

She cleared her throat. “I have to say I am glad that I got the opportunity to be here tonight. It is a wonderful celebration. The princess must be thrilled.”

“She surely is,” Bede replied and darted a glance at his sister who was still twirling round the dance floor with that young duke. They seemed to enjoy themselves but Bede knew that they probably wouldn’t see each other again once this celebration was over. His father would never allow Carlina to marry someone of lower degree than her.

When the lady-in-waiting let out a deep sigh, he turned his attention back to her. She was looking at him with an annoyed expression. “You don’t understand, do you?” she asked. “I am not petite Amelié’s lady-in-waiting.”

“Oh, I realized that,” Bede replied flatly. “I knew it already when you spoke to my father. You know, as chance would have it, I have a bit of knowledge about Kalos and their traditions, and let me tell you, a lady-in-waiting there would never be dressed in a simple gown like yours.”

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise but just a second later, the blank expression was back. “I see. Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore. I got what I wanted.”

“And what would that be, Milady?”

“Talking to you,” she stated matter-of-factly. “I wanted to tell you how much I despise your family. You killed my little sister, you killed countless others and yet, here you are, throwing parties and wasting money, as if my people aren’t suffering because of your ignorance. I won’t let Lewin continue to destroy this country.”

“And what are you going to do about that, Milady?” he asked, the tone of his voice clearly meant to mock her.

“You’ll see, little princeling,” she promised and her lips curled into a sweet smile. “You’ll see.”


	6. Chapter 5 - Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait! There was just a lot going on and I didn't have much time to write. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Feedback is always appreciated!
> 
> Warnings: none

**_ Present _ **

Having a prince by your side still felt weird, even after spending a few days with him. Bede was reticent and farouche, only speaking when someone directly addressed a question to him and often looking at you like you were both his worst enemy and the biggest idiot he had ever encountered. His mere presence was enough to make you absolutely furious but the more reasonable part of you knew that you couldn’t just leave him in the lurch, simply because he had no idea about living in the 21th century. As hard as it was, you had to admit that he needed your help.

You had spent the last few days in a small inn in the middle of Wyndon’s old town where Hop had to share a room with the prince because the other rooms had been fully booked, and of course they didn’t get along well. Hop had lost his patience with Bede after a few hours of nerve-wracking silence, and Bede had told him in return that he wouldn’t mind Hop leaving and that he didn’t need a babysitter anyway. 

Needless to say that the mood had been up the spout when you met each other the next day to grab some breakfast. Hop shot angry glances at Bede at least three or four times a minute while Gloria tried her best to save the situation by discussing various plans for the day. You, on the other hand, just wanted to stay out of this and focused on your breakfast instead: a stack of waffles with honey, a fruit salad and a large cup of coffee because you were absolutely sure that you wouldn’t survive another day in Bede’s presence without a considerable amount of caffeine in your system.

“I thought about visiting the castle today,” Gloria said and looked around one. Bede showed no sign of interest in her words while Hop and you nodded in agreement. Visiting the castle had been on your list anyway, and you weren’t going to scrap everything just for the sake of peace and quiet.  If Bede didn’t want to accompany you he could stay in the inn instead.

“The temporary exhibition about the royal family ends in a few days,” Gloria continued in a conversational tone, completely ignoring the fact that Bede’s face dropped when she mentioned his family. “And I don’t know about you but I definitely want to see it.”

“Sure,” Hop agreed. Next to him, Bede huffed. “I’m not coming with you.”

“Oh, don’t worry, you don’t have to,” Gloria replied and smiled at him. “It probably sounds really boring to you, doesn’t it? I mean… it’s an exhibition about your family after all.”

You took a sip from your coffee. Somehow, Gloria seemed to be the only one who wasn’t bothered by Bede’s behavior. She even managed to smile at him from time to time, and it also didn’t faze her that he treated you like you were some obnoxious bugs that bustled about his head. Instead of arguing with him, like you and Hop did most of the time, she really tried her best to start a normal and peaceful conversation, and while you usually admired her for her talent to adapt to every situation, you wished that she would stop with trying to befriend Bede. He didn’t belong here; he wasn’t a part of your friend group and you really didn’t want him to be here. His presence made things so much more complicated than they needed to be, especially since neither of you could stand him or his behavior. Well, except Gloria but you were absolutely sure that she was just pretending because she didn’t want to make the whole situation even more tense. At least that’s what you tried to tell yourself since you didn’t want to believe that she really had some sympathy for the arrogant and disdainful prince. 

When a quiet voice in the back of your head reminded you that he was probably acting like that to cover up his fears about being trapped in another time and having no idea if he would ever be able to go back to his time period, you shook your head to silence the thoughts. That you started to feel sorry for him was definitely the last thing you needed right now. But still… you didn’t even want to imagine how strange the whole situation had to be for him. He had been trapped in stone for so long, and now that he was finally free, he had to discover that the world around him hadn’t stopped turning while he had been accursed. 

You watched him from the corner of your eye while you cut your waffles up before dipping a smaller piece into the puddle of honey on your plate. His looks didn’t match his personality. In all objectivity, you had to admit that he was quite handsome, with his slightly curly, light blonde hair and the unusual purple color of his eyes. But the way he acted made it almost impossible to like him; he was presumptuous and unfriendly, despite the fact that the three of you only tried to help him. 

“(Y/N)?” Hop’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts, and you turned your head to look at him. “Sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you’re ready to go,” he repeated, pointing at your only half-empty plate. “You haven’t finished your breakfast yet.”

You shook your head. “Yeah, no, don’t worry about that. I’m not hungry.”

“Okay.” Gloria beamed at you. “Let’s go!”

*

The exhibition itself wasn’t as good as you had expected. Of course, it was interesting to read more about the Royal family of Galar but a part of you had hoped to find out more about Bede and the reasons why someone had cursed him. 

Lost in your thoughts, you stared at his portrait, noticing that the painting didn’t do him justice. The color of his eyes seemed to be much duller than in real life, and some details like the faint smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth must have been added by the painter to make the prince look more approachable and friendly because you couldn’t imagine that Bede was able to smile at all. But you still had to admit his dark grey uniform made him look quite regal and sophisticated. 

For the first time since you met him, you fully understood that he had been meant to rule Galar after his father’s death. From the information panels right next to his portrait you knew that his parents had been particularly strict about his education and rarely allowed him to do something for fun. According to the historians, he had spent most of his time with studying the politics and the history of Galar but had never been able to live up to his father’s expectations, no matter how hard he tried to impress him. 

Once again, you felt a wave of sympathy for Bede. Surely, it had been hard for him to live with the impression that he wasn’t good enough to be king one day, and you wondered if this was the reason for his dismissive behavior. Maybe he just tried to protect himself by pushing everyone away who tried to get near him. On the other hand, that didn’t make much sense since neither of you had demanded high standards from him, unlike his parents who expected him to be perfect in any way possible. 

A bit taken aback because this had been the second time today that you had felt sorry for the prince, you shook your head and brought your attention to the portrait right next to Bede’s. It showed his sister, Princess Carlina, and if you hadn’t known you wouldn’t have recognized them as siblings. Her hair was darker, her eyes more of a blueish-purple color, perfectly in tune with the color of her gown, and her lips curled into a genuine smile. In comparison to her brother, she looked friendlier and less tense but maybe you were just making that up because you knew how Bede acted most of the time. 

She had been the one who had encouraged their parents to build the park surrounding the statue but that was basically everything you knew about the princess. Even though she eventually became Queen of Galar after her father’s death, she wasn’t as famous as her older brother, mostly because her husband tried everything to keep her out of political affairs and other government affairs. According to the information panels, she had died young, only a few years after her marriage, without having children. 

For a moment, you wondered if she ever learned that her brother wasn’t dead; that someone had trapped him in stone instead. Would she be glad about the fact that you freed him? _You_ definitely weren’t too happy about it but since there was nothing you could do to change it, you slowly started to accept it. In the end, it didn’t matter that much anyway – nobody could force you to like him just because you had managed to break the spell. 

With a quiet sigh, you shook your head and turned away from the paintings. As artistically as they were, they didn’t help you with any of your questions. Even though the legend surrounding the prince was the most interesting thing about the Royal Family, there hadn’t been any information about it, probably because his parents tried everything to keep it a secret, and you couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed when you returned to Hop and Gloria who were waiting in the gift shop near the exit of the castle. 

“Nothing,” you said when they looked at you in anticipation. “I double-checked every single information panel about our Prince Charming but they don’t mention the curse at all. I guess we have to do some research on our own.”

Hop huffed. “Does that mean we have to spend even more time with him?”

“Well, we can’t just leave him on his own, can we?” Gloria retorted and nudged him with her elbow. “He needs our help to get the hang of this time.”

Hop and you exchanged a glance, silently pitying each other because you had to spend even more time with Bede. But both of you knew that Gloria was right: it would be irresponsible to skip out on him, no matter how much you actually disliked him. 

*

Everything was dark around you. Somehow, it felt like you were floating in the void, like there was nothing else around you but thick darkness. 

Then, the darkness suddenly lifted, revealing a light so bright that you had to close your eyes for a second. Still, you weren’t sure if your feet were even touching the ground but when you opened your eyes, you found yourself in the corner of a ginormous ballroom. Every inch of the room seemed to be covered in gold, and there were people in beautiful gowns and custom-tailored uniforms and suits everywhere. On the gallery, you could see a string orchestra tuning their brightly polished instruments before they picked them up and started to play. The melody was melancholic and full of longing, making your heart ache for something you couldn’t quite put your finger on. 

For a few moments, you found yourself staring at your magnificent surroundings, trying to take in as many impressions as possible. There was something magical about this place; it almost seemed like everything could happen here. 

And then you saw him. 

He was making his way through the crowd, dressed in a navy-blue uniform that made him look even paler than he already was. In the dim light, the color of his hair was almost silver-blond, and even though you didn’t want to stare at him like everyone else, you kept your eyes glued on him, watching him as he greeted the royal couple. Next to him, there was a girl – his sister, Princess Carlina, and you realized that she looked so much prettier in real life than she did on the painting you saw just a few hours ago. Her smile was contagious; even her strict father couldn’t help but return it when she beamed at him. 

Then, the scenery suddenly changed. Heavy fog surrounded your feet, making it almost impossible to see the ground. Right in front of you, you spotted a near-derelict building with tall turrets and shattered windows. The stone walls that had started to crumble in some places were covered in dead ivy, and through the opened gate you could hear loud voices. One of them, you recognized immediately, the other one belonged to a woman. 

Burning with curiosity, you slowly sneaked closer. 

“They will regret what they have done to me and my family,” the woman said, her voice filled with a mixture of satisfaction and burning anger. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“You must be insane when you think that I will be intimidated by your empty words,” Bede replied. He sounded just like he did when he talked to you, a bit presumptuous and cold, almost as if the woman didn’t deserve to be taken seriously. “You and your kind can only lie and betray and hope that nobody notices how reprobated and selfish you are.”

The woman laughed. “Your arrogance will do you no good, little Princeling. One day, you will get what you deserve.”

The scenery changed again. You were still standing outside of the building but farther away this time, and now you could see that it was some kind of abandoned church. The full moon, ominously hovering over the scenery, cast a pale light over everything and made the whole situation even more creepy. Just looking at the church made your flesh crawl. You had no idea why but somehow, you knew exactly that something terrible was going to happen. 

Suddenly, the ground beneath your feet started to shake. A terrifying rumble reached your ears, the light of the moon got brighter for a few seconds. The church began to deflate; stone by stone the building collapsed like a house of cards, blowing up dust, and you covered your eyes. Another loud rumble and then – nothing. 

*

With a scream escaping your lips, you started up from your sleep. It was only then when you realized that everything you saw had been nothing but a dream. An alarmingly real dream but still nothing more than a product of your imagination. 

You rubbed your face, noticing that your palms were sweaty, as you tried to steady your breath and calm your racing heart. “Damn it,” you mumbled, still completely taken aback by your dream. Everything had seemed so real, almost as if you had caught a glimpse of the past, but the next second, you rolled your eyes and quietly scolded yourself for being such an idiot. You had visited the castle today, you had seen the portraits; of course everything had seemed real. And with all the things going on right now, the dream simply had been your subconsciousness’ way to process them. There was nothing magical about it, not even the slightest bit. 

At least that was what you tried to tell yourself. A small part of you was still convinced that there was more to it but you refused to listen to the tiny voice in the back of your head. Your life was already crazy enough; you didn’t want to bother yourself with the past as well.

But as soon as you lied down again and closed your eyes, the pictures came back. You still saw the gorgeous ballroom, heard the rousing waltz that the orchestra had played, remembered the argument between Bede and the unknown woman. For a moment, you wondered if she had been the one who cursed him. And – which seemed to be the more important question – _why_ you dreamed about it in the first place. It made no sense; you knew nothing about the things that happened back then which, again, could only mean that your imagination ran riot after visiting the castle today. 

You let out a quiet sigh. Not for the first time, you realized that none of this would be a problem if Gloria hadn’t persuaded you to take a photo with the statue. If you had refused, Bede wouldn’t be here; you wouldn’t dream about weird arguments and collapsing buildings. Instead, the three of you would have continued your road trip as planned. Everything would be fine. 

Suddenly feeling the urge to scream out of utter frustration, you pressed your lips together. There was no way you were able to go back to sleep, not when the thoughts in your head were running wild. Not when you couldn’t stop worrying your brain about your dream. 

Maybe, you mused, it would be best to find someone to talk about it. But you knew that Hop would just shrug it off because he didn’t understand why you were so upset, and while Gloria definitely help you to interpret every single detail of your dream, you weren’t sure if that was really what you wanted. Probably not. 

No, you wanted _answers_. You wanted to know who the mysterious woman was, why she threatened the prince and, probably the most important question, why you dreamed about her and Bede in the first place. It just made no sense, at least not with everything you knew at this point. You couldn’t answer any of your questions. But you knew someone who could. 

*

“I need to talk to you,” you said and grabbed Bede’s arm before he could enter the breakfast room. He gave you an irritated look, clearly surprised that you touched him without his permission and actually spoke to him. You couldn’t blame him – usually, you avoided addressing him directly but today, you had no other choice. “Please,” you added, your voice filled with impatience. “It’s urgent.”

Bede raised an eyebrow, staring at you as if he couldn’t believe that you even knew how to say Please, but much to your surprise, he nodded. “Fine.”

You dragged him outside, careful that no one could see you. Although you had no idea why someone would eavesdrop on you and the long-lost prince of Galar, you preferred to better be safe than sorry. 

“So,” Bede said and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What’s so urgent that I cannot have breakfast first?”

You remained silent for a moment. Then, you let out a deep sigh. “I… I had a dream last night,” you replied slowly. “In the end it was more of a nightmare, to be honest.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with me.”

“I saw you. You were arguing with a woman, in an old church,” you explained, although it felt incredibly weird to tell him about your dream. A part of you still expected him to laugh at you and return to the breakfast room after telling you that you were completely crazy but the other part wanted to know if he knew anything about the mysterious woman. “She… she was saying something about a punishment. I didn’t understand everything but she definitely threatened you.”

Bede raised his eyebrows. “Is that so?” He was trying to play it cool but you had noticed how he flinched when you mentioned the old church and the argument between him and the woman. Now, you were sure that he definitely knew something and that it had been more than just a dream.

“Yes,” you insisted. “And I want to know who that woman is and what she was talking about. So, if you know anything about that it would be great if you could just answer my questions without acting like I’m just some stupid idiot who had a nightmare.”

He huffed but you noticed how he avoided your gaze. Instead, he was focusing on something behind you. “Even if I knew something,” he finally said, his voice shaking almost unnoticeable, “I surely wouldn’t tell _you_.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t trust you! I don’t trust any of you,” Bede snarled at you. Suddenly, there was nothing left of his steely composure. Instead, he flashed his eyes at you as if you were his worst enemy. “And what is the point anyway? All of this is long gone, and if you ask me, this is none of your business after all.”

“Fine!” you yelled, mimicking his tone. “Don’t tell me! I’ll figure it out on my own, I don’t need you or your help anyway to find out what’s going on!”

“Good luck with that, then,” Bede replied and rolled his eyes. It made you furious that he acted like your dream didn’t mean anything, and you clenched your fists to keep you from slapping him across the face. “Oh, shut up, will you? You don’t need to act like you know everything when you’re nothing more than a scared Princeling who’s too frightened to face his own miserable past!”

There was a long silence then. Bede just stood there as if he was rooted to the spot, his purple eyes filled with utter disbelief and consternation. Gone was the angry look on his face, the tense posture. All that remained was a young, insecure man. And suddenly, you regretted your harsh words. 

“Bede, I-“ you started but he cut you off with a wave of his hand before he turned around and stormed off. 

You stared after him,  still a bit appalled by your fierce reaction. There was no rational explanation for the loathing you felt every time he spoke to you, and you didn’t understand how someone you didn’t even know could drive you up the wall like this. But you were absolutely sure that there had to be a reason for these feelings and for his silence too. And now, especially after his strange behavior, you were hell-bent on finding out what was going on. 


	7. Chapter 6 - Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just realized that it took me forever to update this fic and I quickly want to thank everyone who left comments and kudos while I was away. I really appreciate your support! <3 Anyway, here's the new chapter, I hope you enjoy it as much as the previous ones. 
> 
> Warnings: mentions of violence

**_Past_ **

Bede was exhausted. He had spent the entire weekend with his sister’s future husband, showing him around the kingdom and taking him to a hunting trip to the deep forests at the borders of Galar. Although the young man probably wouldn’t become king himself, Lewin I. had advised his son to introduce Carlina’s fiancé to every important person in the North, including the Duke of Hammerlocke who had invited them to join their hunting party. Now, he was on his way back to the castle while Carlina and her fiancé had decided to stay at the Duke’s palace for a little while longer to spend some more time with each other.

The young prince sighed. He knew that Carlina didn't love her fiancé but he hoped that he would make her happy nevertheless. She was the purest soul he had ever known and deserved nothing but the best. At least for once, Bede and his father agreed.

Star, his dapple-gray mare, nickered, almost as if she wanted to express her approval of his thoughts, and he leaned forward to ruffle her mane. “I know you’re tired. When we get back home I make sure to find some nice green apples for you, alright?”

He always did that; talking to his horse like it could actually understand him, no matter how often others made fun of him because of that. To him, Star had always been a part of his family, his best friend; the one who patiently listened to him when he needed to pour his heart out to someone. Aside from Carlina, the mare was the only one who actually cared about him. Sure, his mother had always tried her best to shield him from his father’s wrath, especially in his early childhood, but not even she could convince him to carry out his strict educational methods.

Bede shook his head, trying to get rid of the unpleasant memories that crept up on him in the back of his mind. He didn’t want to think about these things now; it only reminded him of all the bad things that had happened in the past and the unbearable weight he would carry on his shoulders as soon as he became king. He had spent so much time wondering if he could be equal to the task, hoping that he wouldn’t disappoint everyone who lived in the kingdom, but at the same time, he knew that he didn’t have a choice anyway. He was the firstborn, the heir to the throne, and there was nothing he could do to escape his fate. Sooner or later, the well-being of an entire kingdom would be in his hands.

Star nickered again but this time, it sounded like she disagreed with him. He knew that he was imagining things but it was oddly comforting to interact with her. “It’s so hard to figure out how to be a good king,” he said and patted her withers. Then, a lot more quietly, he added, “I just don’t want to be like my father.”

He went silent after that. In less than an hour he would be back at the castle where he needed to report every single detail about the trip to the king, including everything Carlina had said about her fiancé. Bede was tired of being his father’s spy but since he knew that King Lewin only wanted the best for his daughter – just like Bede himself – he didn’t mind it too much this time.

It was only then when Bede realized the unnatural silence that surrounded him. The birds had stopped chirping, and there was no wind that was breezing through the leaves. Even the sound of Star’s hoofbeats had almost lapsed into silence.

All of that supported only one conclusion: there was some kind of magic in play, and Bede knew the sorcerers and their rightful anger all too well to hope that they weren’t here to hurt him. In the end, he was still part of the royal family, and they would take every opportunity to take revenge.

Star let out a piercing whicker and reared up when two people stormed out of the forest. They were both wearing dark cloaks; the hoods were pulled down so far that Bede couldn’t see their faces. One of them – a young man, judging by his figure – grabbed the reins, trying to hold Star back. The mare rolled her eyes and whickered again as she started to buck.

Bede was being flung forward, barely holding onto Star’s back. The next second, the other sorcerer grabbed his lag, effectively pulling him off the saddle and tackling him to the ground. Bede’s head dashed against a rock, and then, everything went dark.

*

When Bede woke up, the first thing he noticed was the terrible pain that pulsated through his skull. He reached up and felt his temple, realizing that there was dried blood on his skin. Every bone in his body hurt. For a second, he wondered if it felt like that to be trampled down by a hard of cows but his head hurt way too much to think about things like that for longer than a moment.

Bede slowly sat up and let his eyes wander, inspecting his surroundings, although it was so dark that he could barely see anything. But after a while, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness well enough to realize that he was sitting in some sort of cell, maybe in an underground dungeon because there was no window, only masonry from which droplets water were dripping to the ground in a steady rhythm. Right in front of him, he could see a cross-bared prison door, reaching from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. If he hadn’t already suspected it, he would’ve realized that someone had locked him in by now. And somehow, he knew who was behind all of it.

Although he could only remember the attack and the following fall vaguely, there was no doubt about the fact that the sorcerers had taken the opportunity to kidnap him. He just didn’t know _why_. If they thought that his father would stop persecuting them just because they had the prince in their grip… well, they surely would be met with disappointment. There was no way King Lewin would give up the witch hunt, not even if they used his son as some kind of leverage.

It would be a whole different story if they had kidnapped Carlina instead, Bede thought with a hint of bitterness. If the sorcerers had threatened her, the king wouldn’t have hesitated to send an army to get her back. Bede knew that he was far more important for the kingdom than his sister but he wasn’t under the illusion that his father loved him enough to do everything in his power to free him. Especially now that Carlina had a fiancé who would be the heir to the throne in case of the prince’s death, his father wouldn’t risk starting a war and losing his supporters during the course of the battles just for the sake of getting his son back.

With a quiet sigh, Bede shook his head, trying to get rid of the hurtful thoughts. Surely, it didn’t matter whether his father tried to get him back or not; he wouldn’t be able to find him down here anyway, so it was probably better to come to terms with the facts – he would never get out of here. At least not when the sorcerers didn’t want him to.

It was only then when he realized that he wasn’t alone. A few meters away from his cell, he could see a woman, dressed in a simple skirt and blouse, a dark cloak around her shoulders. The hood was hiding her face but not enough to hide her self-satisfied smile as well.

“So, we meet again, little Princeling,” she said softly, slowly approaching the cell. “I must admit that I always assumed it would be harder to capture you. But you were an easy target.”

“You,” Bede replied through gritted teeth. He didn’t need to see her face to recognize her; her voice was enough to know that this was the same woman who had approached him at the ball where she had pretended to be Princess Amelié’s lady-in-waiting. He had almost forgotten her and her preposterous threats but now that he came face to face with her again, he wished he would’ve believed her words back then. Maybe it would’ve given him some sort of advance right now, maybe he could’ve figured out her plans over the past few months. But no, he had pretended that nothing of it had happened and now, he had to pay for his arrogance.

The woman nodded, her smile growing a bit wider, almost as if she could read his mind. “I’m sure you are wondering why I brought you to this place.”

“To kill me, of course,” Bede said matter-of-factly.

“Oh, dearie, no.” The woman clicked her tongue. “I only want to have a little conversation with you. I’m sure that is not too much to ask, or is it, Your Highness?”

Coming from her mouth, the title sounded almost like an insult but Bede only cocked his head and looked at her. Over the years, he had learned how to hide his emotions; a talent that would come in handy now. “Well,” he said, his expression completely blank. “Then talk. I am listening.”

“First of all, you need to listen to my story. If you don’t know what my family had to go through because of your father you won’t understand why I’m asking for your help. So, are you willing to listen to me?”

“You are asking for _what_?” This time, Bede had trouble with hiding his emotions. Her words had completely taken him aback, and for a few seconds, he could only stare at her as he tried to understand what she was talking about. When she saw the confused expression on his face, she smiled once again. “I’m asking for your help, my dear.”

*

She had left him alone to think after she had finished her story. “My name is Brigid,” she had said. “The girl the king killed at the stake a few months ago… she was my sister. Belia. She was the purest soul I ever met, and now she is dead because your father is so consumed with his prejudices and hatred that he can’t see the truth anymore. But my sister isn’t the only one he took from me.”

And then, she had told him everything about her life; what King Lewin did to her and her people, what he did to her family. And with every word she had said, Bede could feel how the world his parents built around him was starting to crumble into a million pieces.

But he still had trouble with comprehending her words. If the things she said were true, it would mean that he had lived a lie since he had been born. It would mean that nothing his parents had told him was true; that they had lied to him right from the start.

He buried his face in his hands as he tried to bring order into the chaos of his mind. Could he trust Brigid? Or was she just trying to drive a wedge between him and his family to convince him to help her?

He wasn’t so sure anymore.

Everything she had told him had sounded insane and absolutely impossible but on the other hand, he knew what his father was capable of. King Lewin didn’t stop at nothing; he would do anything to preserve his power but then again, what if Brigid had been lying? Bede couldn’t burst the bonds with his family just because a woman he barely knew told him wild stories about her past and the kingdom. Growing up, he had learned that sorcerers were known to be manipulative and dishonest, and his father never missed an opportunity to tell him that they couldn’t be trusted, no matter the circumstances. So, why was he still confused?

The answer to that was actually pretty simple: he didn’t know who he could trust. On the one hand, he knew that his father wasn’t the most honest man, and Bede wouldn’t be surprised if he kept the truth from his family for all these years but on the other hand, he had no proof that Brigid didn’t lie to him as well. He had no reason to believe her. It probably wasn’t too far-fetched to assume that she only tried to use him against his family, so it definitely would be wise to ignore the incredible story she had told him. After all, there was nothing she could do to give evidence of her words.

Bede groaned. He already started to feel dizzy from thinking things over again and again, and he was still going round in circles. No matter what he decided to believe – he would end up with betraying someone. The only question that remained was _who_ he would betray: a woman he barely knew or his family.

Keeping things in perspective, the decision was quite simple. Bede had no reason to doubt his parents or the things they had taught him about the sorcerers and the history of the country. The only thing that stopped him from choosing a side was his own insecurity – and fear. Although he would never say it out loud, Bede had to admit that he was afraid of the consequences he would face after making his decision. If he sided with the sorceress, he would definitely lose everything he had, starting with his title and claim to the throne through to the right to be a member of the royal family. But if he decided to stay loyal to his family, he risked incurring Brigid’s wrath and probably would end up dead. So, in the end, he would be the victim, no matter which side he chose.

Bede let out a deep sigh, and after a few moments of collecting his thoughts once again, he closed his eyes and finally made a decision.

*

Brigid returned two days later. In the meantime, two other sorcerers, an elderly man and a girl, had provided Bede with water and a few bites of food but Bede had been so nervous all the time that he barely got anything down. He had spent the majority of the time musing if he had chosen the wrong side but, in the end, he had managed to convince himself that he was doing the right thing.

With that in mind, he could wait for Brigid calmly. His face showed no emotion when she approached his cell, her lips curled into a smile that showed her confidence in her plan, her eyes filled with hope and excitement.

“Hello, my dear,” she said softly and reached out to curl her fingers around the bars of the cell door. Glacially, he returned her smile. “Good evening.”

“Have you thought about the things I’ve said?”

Bede nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest, keeping his eyes glued on Brigid who returned his gaze expectantly. “Can I count on your help, then?”

His smile faded, making room for the emotionless expression he had practiced during his upbringing as crown prince of Galar. “No,” he replied slowly. “I will not help you to betray my own family.”

For a few seconds, there was something like utter disbelief in her eyes but soon enough, she had regained her composure and took a step back from the cell door, her hands shaking ever so slightly as she took them from the bars. “After everything I’ve told you,” she whispered, “you still believe them?”

“Of course I do. They are my family and I love them. You, on the other hand, are a stranger to me, so why should I believe you? I have no possibility to find out whether you tell the truth or not.”

“Oh dear.” A hint of pity flashed over her face. “You have chosen the wrong side.”

“So be it.”

Brigid sighed but when she looked at him again, the expression in her eyes was no longer hopeful. Instead, they were filled with burning anger. “It would’ve been nice to work together with you but in the end, I don’t need you to realize my plan,” she said. “They will regret what they have done to me and my family. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“You must be insane when you think that I will be intimidated by your empty words,” Bede spoke condescendingly and fixed her gaze on her as she clenched her fists. “You and your kind can only lie and betray and hope that nobody notices how reprobated and selfish you are.”

“Your arrogance will do you no good, little Princeling,” the sorceress replied and laughed when he raised his eyebrows at the involuntary nickname she had given him, “one day, you will get what you deserve. And I hope I will be there to see it.”


End file.
